Display container



April 30, 1940. I B. F. OSHEI DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Oct. 5, 1938 NVENTOR ATTORN EYS ing the cover thereof closed;

Patented Apr. 30, 1940 j UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE g DISPLAY: CONTAI ER Y BernardF. )shei, Bufialo, N. Y. Y w I; Application October 5, 1938, Serial N0.233,439

a hollow base, a hollow cover adapted to support an article. such'as a watch, jewelry or thelike,

5'1 and means for pivotallymounting the cover on thebase was to either "enclose the article for shipping. or storing purposes or to expose said article for displaying the same or permitting its removal for inspection or use.

proved means for pivotally mounting the cover on the base whereby the cover is yieldingly held either in its'opened or closed position, which is of simple andcompact construction and isefficient in operation, not liable to get out of order and capable of being manufactured at low cost;

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig; 1 is aside elevation of the Fig. Z'is' a front elevation of the same.

on line 3-3, Fig. 2 but showing the cover opened.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 4-4, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5, Fig, 3 looking upwardly, but showing the cover in full.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section taken on line 6-43, Fig. 4 and showing the position of the parts'when the cover is opened.

Fig. '7 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the cover is closed.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

The base It of this container is of hollow form and comp-rises upright front and rear upright transverse walls ll, i2 and upright longitudinal walls l3 which are preferably formed integrally of plastic material, and a bottom. l4 which is separate from the walls and connected therewith in any suitable manner. The top of the base is provided with an opening which contains the cover i5 having two upright longitudinal side walls It and a curved back I! connecting the rear edges of said longitudinal walls 16 so that the cover has the general appearance of a clam shell.

The article to be stored and displayed by this container is supported on the inner side of the cover by means which are arranged on the inner side of its back and which may be of any suitable construction.

The cover is pivotally mounted on. the base so that the same can be turned vertically forward It is the object of this invention to provide im-Y i t n Cav ty 0f e V faces p y and container show- Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section. taken 1 Claim. (01. 20

about a horizontal transverse axis either into a closed position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which theback of the cover is uppermost and extendswith its front end l8 over a stop flange IS on the depressed upper front part of the base, 5 thereby enclosing the article carried on the inside of the cover, while upon turning the cover vertically backward until its rear end 20 engages with the underside of said stop flange l9 then the exposes the article mounted on the inner side of the cover for displaying the same and permitting its removal for inspection and use.

The improved means for pivotally mounting the cover on the base are constructed as follows:

The numeral 2| represents two horizontal transverse trunions projecting laterally in axial alinement from opposite sides of the longitudinal Walls of the cover about midway of their length and adjacent-to the front edges of the same and preferably formed integrally therewith. Each of these trunnions has its periphery provided on diametrically opposite sides thereof with rounded surfaces 22, HI which are concentric with the axis of the cover, and flat surfaces 23, 23! which 25 alternate with the rounded surfaces 22, HI and are tangential to the axis of the cover. The trunnions are journaled in bearings which are formed on the inner sides of the elevated rear parts25 of the longitudinal walls I3 of the base, each of these bearings being closed at the top, front, rear and outer sides and opening inwardly and downwardly into the space within the base, as best shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Spring pressure means are provided for retaining the trunnions in their bearings andalso holding the cover yieldingly in its opened or closed position, the means for this purpose being constructed as follows: I

The numeral 26 represents a recess formed on the inner side of each longitudinal base wall rearwardly of the bearing in the respective wall and opening forwardly and 21 represents an upwardly facing shoulder formed on the same wall in front of this bearing. The-numerals 28 and 29 represent the upper and lower sections. of a spring which is mountedon the base and operates on one of the trunnions, these sections being preferably constructed of resilient metal in the form of leaves and the upper leaf 28 being substantially fiat or straight and the lower leaf 29 being of angular or gambrel form.

The rear end of the upper straight leaf andthe corresponding end of the lower angular leaf are seated in the recess 26 of the'base and the front 55 side of the respective trunnion while the downwardly projecting front end of the lower leaf 29 engages with the shoulder 21 and is held in place thereon by a small quantity of cement 30 having the property of adhering to the plastic material of which the base is constructed. This multiple leaf spring is very compact so as to adapt itself to this container in which only a small amount of space is available and operates not only to press the respective trunnion upwardly against the bottom of this bearing but also engages with either one or the other of the flat sur-,

faces 23, 23! of the respective trunnion for holding the cover yieldingly in a closed and opened position.

As shown by full lines in Fig., 3 and by the broken line 3| in Fig. 6, the cover is turned in its opened position and the upper leaf 28 of the respective retaining spring is in engagement with the flat surface 23! of the trunnion, whereby this spring operates to yieldingly hold the cover open and sufficient pressure must'be applied to the cover in the direction of the arrow 32 Fig. 6 to overcome this spring by cam action of the trun nion thereon until the spring engages. the concentric. surface 22 of the trunnion. During the last part of the forward or closing movement of the cover the trunnion presents its other fiat peripheral surface to the respective retaining spring whereby it is permitted to retract into engagement with this fiat surface and hold the cover yieldingly inits closed position as indicated by full lines in Fig. 1, and by the line 33 in Fig. '7. Opening of the cover can now be efiected by applying pressure thereto, in the direction of the arrow 34 in Fig. 7, sufficient to overcome the tension of this spring and when the cover reaches the end of this movement it is wide open and will be held there by the spring.

end of the upper leaf 28 bears against the undercover on the base is very neat in appearance and compact in construction. It is also very serviceable in use inasmuch as there are no delicate parts which are liable to get out of order. Moreover the several parts are of simple construction and capable of being produced at comparatively low cost.

I claim as my invention:

A display container comprising a lower hollow I base having an opening in its top, and walls on opposite sides of said opening, each of said walls being provided on its inner side with a downwardly opening bearing, a notch on one side of said bearing and a shoulder on the opposite side of said bearing, an article supporting cover rotatable vertically in said opening and having trunnions on its opposite sides which are journaled insaid bearings and engage their upper sides'with the upper bottoms thereof and each trunnion provided on its periphery with alterhating flat and round surfaces, and spring means for yieldingly holding the cover against turning and each of these means comprising upper and lower spring metal leaves which have one of their corresponding ends seated in one of said notches and the upper leaf being comparatively flat and engaging its opposite end with the periphery of one of said trunnions and the lower leaf being of angular form and engaging its opposite end with the shoulder adjacent the respective. bearing.

BERNARD F. OSHEI. 

